Fly Sparta

04/14/2026

IMC Club tonight! Tuesday April 14, 7:00 pm at Sparta Municipal Airport (8D4).
“Radar Services Terminated”. You’ll want to review this subject. We’ll also discuss vacuum failure, have a quiz, and offer various other scenarios. Hope to see you there!

1. When on an IFR flight and arriving an uncontrolled airport destination, ATC clears you for the approach and says “Radar Services Terminated” What does this mean? 
How would you handle the rest of the approach?  

1a. ATC will also ask you to cancel your IFR Flight Plan in the air or on the ground.  Is this the same as “Radar Services Terminated” 

2. If there is another aircraft using the approach, you may have to hold before your clearance is given.  Why would this happen and how would you handle it?

04/09/2026

Gordy’s newest addition to the 8D4 stable, a beautifully crafted SW-51, 70% scale Mustang! Flight testing is progressing well with local test pilot Larry B. reporting that the aircraft is very responsive with no bad habits and is an absolute joy to fly. Well done again Gordy! Video is the first landing - good show Larry!

03/12/2026

Will Drones and General Aviation pilots be able to share the airspace safely?  Join us as we attempt to answer this question with the help of Eric Fillinger who is the Chief UAS Pilot at West Michigan Aviation Academy.  Eric will be giving us insight into the current Part 107 rules, as well as looking at the new Part 108 changes that are under discussion right now. Will the skies below 400 feet be filled with Amazon and Pizza delivery drones? Join us to learn more (Automobile delivered pizza provided!)

02/11/2026

Please join us Monday, February 16th for our regular monthly meeting at the Sparta Municipal Airport terminal.

Levil Aviation, makers of the “BOM” under wing sensor/GPS, as well as the iLevil Auto Pilot and other products will be presenting via live Web. We will hear about how their products could give you the edge against flight instrument failure, or even provide you with a complete Glass Cockpit option on an iPad! Rick with EAA 704 has been using their Astro GPS product to improve situational awareness on an iPad and loves having all the information at a glance. Show up to see how the Levil Aviation set of offerings might fit into your cockpit. They also sent a box of goodies for us to hand out! If you have questions, we’ll do a live Q&A. We hope to see you there!

02/09/2026

Let’s continue from last month with some great info about flying IFR in this winter weather.

So come on out Tuesday Feb.10th at 7 p.m to the Sparta IMC Club and enjoy some comroadere, some fun scenarios (what would YOU do), maybe a quiz so you can look smart, and a good review of how to stay safe with Winter IFR flying.

If you don’t learn something you can get a full refund!

See you Tuesday at 7 p.m.!

Your Program Coordinator,
Dr. Mark Schultz

02/06/2026

Never too early to start preparing for the 2030 Winter Olympic Games. Here’s Chris and the Husky practicing their ski flying routine at Sparta Airport. And the judges scores are…?

01/24/2026

A bit chilly at the airport today, but a beautiful evening nonetheless. Nice view of the airfield from atop the massive snow piles after several days of snow removal efforts. With the help of Steve and his crew at Waterworks LLC, we’ve been able to keep the airport operational throughout the recent snow events. Keep an eye on our FICON NOTAMS for runway, and airfield conditions. Thanks to Matt for the picture!

01/24/2026

Widening out a taxi away with the blower after plowing. Have to keep the snowbanks along the edges of the runway and taxiways in check for you low wing pilots!

01/15/2026

EAA monthly meeting Monday, January 19, 7:00 PM at the Sparta Municipal Airport terminal. Come on out for a presentation by iFly EFB and some winter hangar flying!

01/13/2026

IMC Club: Tuesday 1/13/26

Winter Operations! Let's gather this evening and review and learn about winter flying in regards to IFR trips.

We will have some short videos reviewing a number of winter issues, a low pressure group quiz we work on together, and a scenario to sharpen our skills.

Please join us at 7 pm today at the Sparta Municipal Airport terminal. Dr. Mark Schultz presenting.

10/31/2025